Self Control

The original song is sung by an Italian, singer: Raf. I put the song in the context of the culture and the way of life, in summer, particularly in the 80s. I think it is about a male who is expressing this typical lifestyle of going out in the night,to a trendy bar and/ or discotheque, "letting your hair down", meeting up with the countless beautiful women (especially foreigners on holiday) having your night of passion, and tomorrow is another day. No worries about tomorrow or about getting into a serious relationship. The women you meet in this lifestyle take your self control and day after day you find yourself in the midst of beautiful, made-up (painted girls), wearing white (a fresh summer colour that brings out the best in a woman). If you see the videos you will get the context of what i mean. Nothing to do with prostitutes. Once you go through this phase, you are out from 11 pm till 3 am every day. You have to have lived in Italy, Malta, Spain, Greece... to experience this lifestyle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJml5mnFhY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TTLEKh0T_g

I agree. I love Branigan's voice. It's so seductive, and I say that as a straight female! The whole video is so sensual, with the Phantom of the Opera-esque guy coming for her. She looks completely limp and helpless when he seduces her, much like Christine in the movie (haven't seen it on broadway). This has to be one of the best sexy-creepy videos of all time!

I never thought this was about a prostitute. I heard this song in my early 30s, newly divorced and feeling old & ugly. Depression had turned me into a night-owl. Then I screwed up my courage and went alone to a sun destination. They played this at a disco. I met a guy (he even wore a white suit). "Through the wall, something breaking" was how it felt to feel sexual again, but it also felt very unsafe...

Personally, I think it's simply about a woman who constantly goes out at night to escape the unfulfilling life she has during the day "in the day, nothing matters". I believe she's also infatuated with some mysterious stranger she's met whilst out and about, who, much like the night-time world they inhabit, is both exciting and mysterious but also has a sense of danger about him. Nevertheless, she doesn't want to leave him any more than she wants to face yet another day.

Is she a prostitute? Maybe the guy she loves is in fact her pimp? Don't know- there are multiple possible layers of meaning, but it's not obvious.

I think I read somewhere in an online interview with Laura Branigan that the song could be interpreted as being about a prostiute--a woman who works by night, sleeps by day, and is controlled by her pimp. But when I fell in love with the song as a young teenager, I didn't see it quite like that. I thought it was more about a woman who lives for the night and the excitement of dressing up and being another person, and who feels lifeless in the light of the day. At some point she has met this guy who she can't stop thinking about--she feels herself losing control of her feelings to him. There is a kind of dangerous vibe in there, and I liked that the song was different to the typical 'girl meets boy, fall in love' type of song. Laura Branigan has the perfect voice for this song. Such a shame she died young. A great loss to music.

This song always reminds me of when I was a taxi driver in Brighton; I've never been a clubber, so when it came on the radio on a Friday/Saturday night when I was driving, it just summed up that whole world out there.

My interpretation may be a little off but here goes anyway :

The lyric is clearly about a nightlife person but this person may have been a morning (or working) person at one time in business or entertainment but "I haven't got the will to try and fight against a new tomorrow" means that times have changed and her job has taken a back seat to the competition.

"You help me to forget to play my role" does not have to be about another person, but just the atmosphere of the nighttime overtaking the daytime.

The something that is breaking thru the wall "wearing white" could be Bob Barker from the short-run show That's My Line, only in this night vision he is wearing not his black suit but his white one from The Price Is Right -

Just another example of the world of the day turning into the world of the night - and will one really be any better than the other, or just two contrasted versions of the same thing?

I'm just relearning my 80's music so i never saw the video but I allways imagined a relucktant female vampire singing this in respests to her unwanting to come to turms winth her true nature. kind of like Bood Rayne how she hates what she is but must live with it.

Enjoying Laura Branigan's Self Control - superb song. I heard this back in the '80's - however, I had forgotten about the song...until just recently when I saw the video for the first time. Excellent. I am now enjoying re-visiting the song after so many years.

The song & video are very interesting, as are these interpretations. However, I don't believe this song is about a "lady of the night" - that's too obvious & simplistic, IMHO.

My interpretation is that it's about someone (specifically a woman, but apparently the first person to sing this song was male - so it could be about a guy too) who doesn't like the daytime & lives for the night-time, going out and partying, etc. And, then when the day rolls around, they go about their daily lives - i.e. work, school, etc. However, they don't enjoy their dull daytime lives & look forward to the nights/weekends when they can go out again, enjoy themselves, and be "another person" for a brief time.

I used to do the club scene somewhat in the '90's & remember how clubbing was kind of like entering a different world to some extent...the lights, people, etc. all looked completely different then they did during the day....

Incidentally, this was the song that first got me interested in Laura Branigan back when I was an '80s-obsessed teenager. (Odd, seeing as I mostly grew up in the '90s.)